Budapest Régiségei 36. (2002) – In memoriam Rózsa Kalicz-Schreiber (1929-2001)

Raczky Pál: Evidence of contacts between the Lengyel and Tisza-Herpály Cultures at the late neolithic site of Polgár-Csőszhalom : relationships between Central European and Balkan ritual practice and sacral thought in the Upper Tisza Region = A lengyeli és tisza-herpályi kulturális érintkezés régészeti emlékei Polgár-Csőszhalom késő neolitikus lelőhelyén : a rituális gyakorlat és a szakrális gondolkodás közép-európai, illetve balkáni eredetű elemeinek összefüggései a Felső-Tisza-vidéken 79-92

EVIDENCE OF CONTACTS BETWEEN THE LENGYEL AND TISZA-HERPÁLY CULTURES shape of the head and the lack of facial features and hair. Such figurines have been recovered in great numbers and should, therefore, be regarded as statistically representative.

37 Moreover, numerous clay heads were recovered within the same cultural context which, similarly to the specimens from Polgár under discussion here, had been perforated in a vertical direction.

38 Such heads were often connected to the torso of the clay figurine with a little stick, as is unambiguously shown by longitudinal holes that occur in a variety of shapes in the chest and neck of these figurines.

39 The aforementioned examples show that within the cultural region outlined above, the fragile neck of these anthropomorphic figurines was often reinforced by using little wooden sticks. This type of connection, however, made the conscious replacement of figure heads possible as well. This phenomenon does not simply represent a peculiar technical solution, a way of shaping the object. It must also have to do with the symbolic content of the objects. The similarities thus emerging in material culture seem to outline a broader, Polgár-Aszód-Moravia connection. Nevertheless, a special type of idol had already been recognized in the early phase of Neolithic research in Southeastern Europe. This stylistic category was then labeled as the "Thessalian type"

40 or "balkanische kopfhse Idole".

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1 Recently the assemblage of large clay figurines brought to light from neolithic buildings excavated at Par pa (Parác) contained a number of "busts". Vertical holes on the top of these body-shaped objects served as an attachment for some sort of a head, usually taking the form of animal skulls.

42 This list of examples, although far from complete, shows that a special anthropo- or perhaps zoomorphic type of representation existed during the Neolithic in Europe. In the case of these representations, having a mobile head had a special significance. In other words, the duality of the bodily states symbolized in this way was equally important in the events related to these figurines. This may also mean that such figurines had more than a single, static meaning. They may well have symbolized two states of existence that were separated in time as well. Figurines appearing in two distinct — headed and headless — forms delineated a certain time interval. Thus, 37 PODBORSKY 1983. 92 and Fig. 1, 1-3, 5-6; PODBORSKY 1985. PI. 6, 2a-e PI. 12, 1-7, PI. 14, 13-14, PI. 16, 1 etc. ^PODBORSKY 1985. PL '12, 4b, 5c, PL 15, lib, PI. 56, 3c, PL 58, 4b, PL 59, 8b, PL 66, 4c, PL 67, 3b, 5a. '

iq PODBORSKY 1985. PL 64, lb, PL 103, 2a-d, PL 111, la-cl, 3a-d, 4a-d, PL 112, 2a-cL 10 WACE- I'HOMPSON 1912. 41, Fig. 25a-d, Fig. 28, g; DUMITRESCU 1941; 1960. «MAKKAY1962. 42 LAZAROVICI 1998. 11-12, Kat. 3-5. it may also be hypothesized that the series of activities related to this time interval were repeated according to a certain scenario. On the other hand, the stylized form of both figurine heads from Polgár-Csőszhalom can be interpreted within the sphere of the Central European Lengyel Culture. Their significance within the external/internal contexts of the Polgár-Csőszhalom tell and its horizontal settlement may be best interpreted along these lines. In a symbolic sense, this phenomenon may be indicative of similar connections in the Upper Tisza Region, to those hypothesized by J. Petrasch between Künzing-Unternberg in Southeastern Bavaria and Moravia respectively

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, raising the possibility of "Ideenimport" directed towards the first of these two areas. In the case of Polgár -Csőszhalom, aside from the system of concentric ring fortifications and de facto Lengyel Culture pottery, the presence of Lengyel type stylistic features may be recognized among the anthropomorphic figurines as well. It may be stated, therefore, that the Lengyel Culture complex is also represented in an "ideological" sense at this settlement. According to the detailed information reviewed in this paper, communal, sacral activities took place over the entire neolithic settlement of Polgár. That is, they were carried out on the tell, located within the concentric ditch system and in the proximity of houses in the adjacent external settlement alike. Lengyel and Tisza Culture type anthropomorphic figurines came to light side by side in all parts of the area divided by the circular ditches, as well as other traces of non-mundane activity. This means that the ditch was not simply an expression of territorial and cultural separation, since evidence of cultural symbiosis is abundant everywhere. It is argued here that the two territorial units repre sent the domestic/wild — damns/agrios dichotomies as discussed by I. Hodder,

44 and seems to be manifested in the spatial distribution of animal remains.

45 On the other hand, the unit formed by houses in the external settlement, seems to define a social grouping in and of itself, possibly a set of families, within whose framework communal-sacral activities were organized. Meanwhile, the central area surrounded by the concentric set of circular ditches may have been a scene of events representing a higher level of integrity Never-the-less, this area defined by the concentric ditch system cannot only be considered a large ritual space — sanctuary or sanctuary district — devoted exclusively to sacral activity although this possibility has been raised Eszter Bánffy with regard to a broader European context.

46 43 PETRASCH 1994. 210-213. 44 HODDER 1990. 94-99. 45 SCHWARTZ 2002. 856. Fig. 12. «BANFFY1997. 71.